Upstart Crow - The Complete Series 1-3 And The Christmas Specials Boxset [DVD] [2019]

The first season of this wonderful sitcom dates from 2016 and IMO the show is a continuation of the great British sitcoms of the past which I grew up with, such as "Fawlty Towers", "Yes Minister", "'Allo 'Allo", "Keeping up Appearances" and "Absolutely Fabulous", yet it is updated to suit modern taste without compromising the fun!The main character is none other than Shakespeare (brilliantly played by David Mitchell) and the plot of his plays are cleverly integrated into the plots of the episodes. We meet his family, his servants, his colleagues and his adversaries, each of them making us laugh, often by poking fun of and thereby highlighting the hypocrisy of late 16th century/early 17th century society, at the same time taking our own society to task for the things we still don't do well enough.Buy it - you won't regret it! And to the BBC: Get your heard out of your **** and release the last Christmas special on dvd NOW!!!

Well received.

This is one of the funniest shows ever made. It pokes fun not only at Shakespeare and the foibles of his day, but also at the vagaries of modern civilization and culture. There are no sacred cows in this hilarious take on the Bard, his contemporaries, his family (“Wha? Grrrr!) and friends, his enemies, fellow actors, his sources, and the development of his plays (“Romeo & Julian”?). This one’s a hit!

Very funny series can’t stop watching it

I don't think many know about this comedy, but it had 3 seasons and a Christmas special. I loved it but do think 3 seasons was about right.

Upstart Crow is wonderfully written and acted comedy which puts a human face on the Bard and his problems of status and acceptance.As a fairly lowly born writer from the provinces Shakespeare struggles against the pompous, entitled upper classes who only by accident of birth and privilege assume superiority. Anything changed in the last 400 years !! Contemporary comparisons, particularly regarding his regular commute between Stratford upon Avon & London - delays, roadworks, fellow travellers, lack of compensation for disruption, etc., abound and although slightly predictable are nonetheless really hilarious.In addition to Shakespeare, wonderfully played by David Mitchell, all the cast are really fantastic particularly:1. Kate (Gemma Whelan) his landlady's daughter who yearns to be an actress but females are not permitted on the stage in those days !2. Anne Hathaway, (Liza Tarbuck) his calm and understanding wife who stays in Stratford with their children and his parents.3. Ned Bottom (Rob Rouse) his very lowly London manservant who is also, surprisingly an astute critic of Will's rather pompous writing style !!4. Susanna (Helen Monks) the eldest and teenage daughter of Shakespeare & Anne who is a contemporary very stroppy and grumpy teen "bitchington".5. Shakespeare's parents (Harry Enfield & Paula Wilcox).It is a true delight and every episode is laugh out loud funny. My only regret is how did I miss this when it was first shown on the BBC 😒

A true heir to Blackadder, a pleasure to watch.

This is a very funny and enjoyable three series. If you want to be cheered up during winter this leaves a warm glow

You must have a dvd player that works with all formats. I bought one from Amazon. They list several. Upstart Crow is very funny even if you don't know Shakespeare. Better if you do, but still funny even if you don't who Shakespeare was.

Very funny, clever dialogue with lots of Shakespearen references, both obvious and subtle. Great cast!

Ben elton, the guy yond hath bought us blackadd'r and the young one hast did create imo anoth'r mast'r piece.Tis not beest f'r ev'ry one but i loveth t if 't be true thee knoweth aught about the bard, and iambic pentamet'r isn't unknown to thee then thee shall enjoyeth t

This show is best appreciated by those familiar with Shakespeare's plays. As a former student of Shakespeare's plays I loved it but if you haven't seen them, you would miss a lot of the humour.There is a cheeky undercurrent apparently commenting on news of that time while really applying to modern times. Loved it

Like many reviewers, I saw in the "Product Information" that this DVD set is advertised as NTSC. When I received the box it had a warning label on it that it was PAL. So, I re-read the product info on the page from top to bottom. When I got past all the "frequently bought" and "buy this too" crap, I found a blurb that says, "Product Description NOTICE: Polish Release, cover may contain Polish text/markings. The disk DOES NOT have English audio and subtitles." I did not find any review that said this is a non-English release, the reviews say it is hilarious and seem to all come from English-speaking purchasers, and the box does NOT have any Polish text/markings so I don't know what to believe except that this marketing company - Mediapolis - must not know what is is doing or they have published a whole lot of false reviews. Clearly, from the age of the reviews, this is not a new issue and I question why AMAZON has not either made the marketer correct their product information or banned them from AMAZON for their misleading and/or incorrect product information.Very disappointing.